It took a day longer than expected, but the baseball team eventually took care of business.
The Jumbos' Friday afternoon series opener with the Colby Mules was postponed by thunderstorms in Waterville, Maine, but when play opened the next day, the Jumbos were ready. They took both games Saturday, sweeping the doubleheader 5-1 and 9-2, before cruising to victory in the third game as well, 9-1. With the sweep, Tufts clinched its first outright NESCAC East title since 2002.
"It's always been a goal of ours to win the East," said senior tri-captain Brian Casey, who drove in two runs in the series' first game and earned the save in the third. "But what we're really trying to do is win in the playoffs. The East is just an added bonus."
That added bonus fell into place this weekend, as the Jumbos wrapped up their sweep of the Mules at a rain-soaked Coombs Field Sunday afternoon. Junior Jason Protano was strong on the mound for the Jumbos, working seven innings in Sunday's game and allowing just one run, earning his third win of the year. Protano, in addition to senior Derek Rice and junior Adam Telian, combined to silence the Mules in the series.
"Telian and Protano both did really well," said Rice, who pitched Saturday's second game. "Tel gave us seven good innings, and Pro pitching seven innings today was great too. We only used five pitchers total, all weekend, and we have a really big game coming up with Eastern Connecticut [today]. Now we have a full pitching staff for that game."
Offensively, the Jumbos were in full force for Sunday's game. All nine Tufts starters had at least one hit - Brian Casey and his sophomore brother Kevin each had two, while freshman Alex Perry started at catcher and went 3 for 4. Tufts had a 2-0 lead through three and a half innings, but exploded for three-straight rallies in innings five through seven, pounding out seven more runs to win 9-1.
In Saturday's two games, the Jumbos benefited from two more stellar pitching performances, as Rice and Telian both earned their fifth wins of the year. Rice went eight innings in the second game, allowing two runs and striking out six to improve to 5-0, while Telian worked his record to 5-1, allowing just one run in a seven-inning complete game. And mastering the Mule lineup was no walk in the park.
"I'd say Colby's the most improved team, by far, in the league," Rice said. "I'd say they're as good-hitting a team as Bowdoin. They're definitely the most improved team in the division. It wasn't just three easy games."
While the Tufts pitching was stellar, there was no shortage of strong offensive performances either. Junior outfielder Steve Ragonese once again had a huge weekend for the Jumbos, belting two home runs to bolster his NESCAC-leading total of nine on the season, while freshman Nate Bankoff had a three-hit, three-RBI game in Saturday's game two. Sophomore Dave Katzman and freshman Caleb Sims both chipped in during game one, each adding a run-scoring double.
While the three-game sweep was a huge boost to the division-champion Jumbos, it wasn't as convincing as a year ago, when the Mules came to Medford and were outscored 37-12 in the three games.
"They're an improving program," Casey said. "They're getting better. But we definitely squandered some opportunities against them. We left quite a few runners on base, in scoring position. But they're a good team - they're swinging the bats well."
Nevertheless, a sweep is a sweep, and this Tufts team has now won six-consecutive games. With the momentum from this weekend's success, the Jumbos hope to first take care of today's opponent, Little East titan Eastern Connecticut, and then channel that success into a strong showing in the NESCAC postseason starting May 11.
"We need to draw on this win for the NESCAC Tournament," Casey said. "We want to win it. We have some guys with some playoff experience, so we think we can do well. But right now, we're really focusing on Eastern Conn."
After today's showdown with the Warriors, the Jumbos will look ahead to NESCACs, and the most feared opponent on their schedule may be NESCAC West champion Williams, which finished its division slate with a record of 9-3. Tufts and Williams split a doubleheader at Huskins Field three weeks ago, and the Jumbos may be looking at a rematch in two weeks.
"They're a good team," Casey said of the Ephs. "They hit the ball, they have good pitching and they play some defense. I don't think there's any team in the NESCAC that we can't beat on any given day, but I don't think there's any team that can't beat us either."
While the NESCAC's parity is as evident as ever, there's still little doubt that Tufts is capable of taking home a conference title. With their 10-2 conference-best record the Jumbos are the team to beat.
"We're pretty much the No. 1 team in the NESCAC right now," Rice said. "Anything less than the NESCAC title would be a disappointment at this point. We may have taken the first step by winning the East, but that's only one step toward our ultimate goal, which is the World Series."
